Crusty bread bites with anchovy, roasted pepper, and olive — Basque bar food.
Pintxos are bite-sized open-faced sandwiches served in Basque bars with a toothpick skewering the ingredients. Anchovy pintxos are among the most classic: sweet roasted red pepper, salty anchovy fillet, and a cured olive on top of crusty bread, held together with a toothpick and often finished with a quail egg.
Serves 12
Lightly toast baguette slices until golden and crispy.
Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on each toast.
Top each with a strip of roasted pepper, then an anchovy fillet, then an olive.
Insert a toothpick through the center to hold everything together.
Use quality anchovies — they're the star.
Toast bread just before assembling for maximum crispness.
Prepare up to 2 hours ahead; cover loosely.
Add a quail egg on top
Substitute cured ham for anchovy
Use roasted green pepper instead of red
Best eaten within 2 hours. Can assemble (without toothpick) and cover until serving.
Pintxos culture is central to Basque social life. Bars line the narrow streets of San Sebastián's old town, each with dozens of unique pintxos. This anchovy version is an enduring classic.
Absolutely — roasted pepper and olive, or Manchego cheese and quince are popular.
It's functional (to hold ingredients) and traditional. Toothpicks have been part of pintxo culture for generations.
Per serving · 12 servings total
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